Today represents the arduous descent to the day with the shortest amount of light, the winter solstice. The peak of Saturnalia as represented by my light ‘candle’. As much as I love winter I do enjoy the sunlight being a bit longer as 8:45 is ridiculous for sunrise…
I hope that you are enjoying the Saturnalia festivities that you may have going on, or any other pagan rituals that you are into!
In what can be described as feeling like the longest year ever, I am happy that Winter solstice is finally here, marking the day with the least amount of light before the earth’s axis starts tilting back to summer again.
It seems ironic that at the start of the year most people were sick of hearing about Brexit on the news and were wanting something new in the headlines. I guess you should be careful for what you wish for. Interestingly both Brexit and COVID are about to cause a major clusterfuck at the end of the year with no imports or exports into the UK due to COVID and the (oven ready) No Deal with Europe.
It would be hard to believe that 2021 can be any worse.
Unfortunately for most in Scotland we will not be able to see the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn tonight, it’s very cloudy, I actually wonder if it was cloudy on the night 400 years ago when they last met like this. I look forward to the videos and photographs tomorrow!
After the year that has been we should take a moment to acknowledge the solstice, knowing that the darkest day eventually leads to the lightest.
Possibly my favourite day of the year, the Winter Solstice marks the shortest day in the northern hemisphere. For me it marks the start of ‘proper’ winter, January and February always feel the coldest in Scotland. It also means that the days start lengthening again up until the June summer solstice.
For many winter is the hardest part of the year due to the lack of light and coldness. When I hear people complain about winter I often think of the poem There’s a certain slant of light, by Emily Dickinson.
There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –
Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference –
Where the Meanings, are –
None may teach it – Any –
Tis the seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the Air –
When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, 'tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –
Whatever your feeling about winter, Happy Solstice.
Summer, this year, has stalled several times. Most days are a mix of everything, hail, rain, sunshine and cloudy can be expected anywhere at anytime!
With a friend (@catwith8lives) visiting last weekend we were lucky to at least get a day with some sunshine and managed to visit a few of the local attractions along the John Muir Way and later drove north into the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park.
I live close enough to the Falkirk Wheel to be able to walk there along the canal tow path, a walk that can be extended along the John Muir Way via Rough Castle and back into Bonnybridge at the Forth & Clyde Canal. The Falkirk Wheel is a rotating boat lift that connects the Forth and Clyde Canal with the Union Canal. It opened in 2002, reconnecting the two canals for the first time since the 1930s as part of the Millennium Link project.
Driving into the Trossachs is always a bit arduous, the amount of traffic that is in that area on such tight roads is amazing. Making it to Loch Katrine was worth it though, there is a great walk around Loch Katrine that has splendid views of the surrounding hills and if you are lucky you will also see the Sir Walter Scott steamship. Trips on steamships have been going since 1859 and the Sir Walter Scott has been cruising Loch Katrine since 1899.
Visiting the Trossachs was also a great opportunity to eat at Venachar Lochside Restaurant, which I highly recommend and as luck would have it they were able to host us after our visit to Loch Katrine. Usually it’s very busy at the weekends and during the summer they close for wedding receptions, so it’s worth checking their website beforehand. Have added a photograph that I took before in winter from the garden of the restaurant, it is a great location to take photographs of Loch Achray and the surrounding countryside.
Loch Achray, winter 2017/18
Happy Solstice! The longest night is with us again, almost 16 hours for me this year. Of course that depends where you are (assuming northern hemisphere). Tomorrow this spinning beach ball that we are travelling on starts back again to its trajectory to the our summer equinox!
Hope you enjoy your shortest day!
